THIS is why I love Hillary

[MonkeyFunk]

and always will. For all of you claimed she'd not endorse him, or would take this to the convention, or whatever, I KNEW it was untrue. I knew it was just more stupid smears based on lies and hate.

I KNEW that if she didn't get the delegates, she'd concede, and do so with great grace. I KNEW it. Never a moment of doubt.

But I also knew that UNTIL the race was decided, no matter how steep the hill she was climbing got, that she wouldn't give up. I KNEW it. Never a moment of doubt.

In 2000, she had been attacked, harangued, harassed and abused more than any other woman in public life. The lies, the attacks, the smears against her and her family were just unfathomable. And what did she do? Did she try to step out of public life and take a break? No. She ran for the Senate, and she won. And don't pretend the race was a gimme for her - it wasn't by any means. She fought for it, and she won it. She just doesn't give up, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what people say about her, no matter what happens. She doesn't give up.

That's a quality we should admire, and support. Instead, it's been near-heartbreaking to see the same kinds of attacks she endured throughout the 90s used against her every day here on this board, and still seeing them today.

People who know her all describe her as smart, funny, gracious and kind. But she's portrayed as just the opposite, and it's just ridiculous for democrats to buy into those lies.

When she ran for the Senate, people said she'd be a show horse, a camera hog, a prima donna. But what did she do? She buckled down, worked hard, kept out of the limelight, and became a very well-respected Senator. Even the men who had tried to destroy her husband had to admit she was smart, tough, dedicated and hard-working, despite everybody's predictions.

But I knew she would be. I just KNEW it.

[chimpymustgo]

1. She is a tremendous candidate. Barack should be begging her to be on the ticket.

[JoFerret]

40. Hillary ran and deserved to win

She didn't
Obama ran and deserved to win. He did.

[rch35]

75. deleted so people wouldnt yell at me.... nt

:D

[terrya]

2. Allow me to be the first to recommend this, sir.

:thumbsup:

[PeaceNikki]

3. And I, the second.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

4. K&R.

:toast:

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MonkeyFunk]

7. It's Bush's war

so bite me.

[terrya]

8. Just couldn't resist pissing in a thread on a sad day for Hillary's supporters, could you?

Just couldn't resist.

What an assholish thing to do.

You've had enough time to bring that up. Which, as I recall, it has.

[MonkeyFunk]

10. never mind

thanks mods.

[terrya]

15. Here's how I see it.

She was magnificent today. You know it, I know it, most of the people here saw that great speech and appreciated the tremendous boost to our party today. Senator Clinton just unified our party. And you, and I, and anyone with half a brain should thank her for what she did today.

That colossally stupid thread on here (you know which one I'm talking about) has been locked. Today is a day of, for me, appreciating Senator Clinton and her supporters. And that's what I intend to do.

The haters are haters. This stupid piling on Hillary shit is unseemly and stupid and childish. Most people here are appreciative of her speech today. She did a very good thing today...the epitome of grace, of passion, of enthusiastically working for our nominee and her passionate committment to the causes she's worked so hard for.

[hfojvt]

62. not everyone here saw the speech

just some snips played on the M$M.

[Bicoastal]

6. She has made some mistakes...Nobody's perfect, especially not my candidate...BUT

I think she made as good a concession speech as anyone one could possibly ask for. As a (fairly recent) New York resident, I welcome my Senator back with open arms.

[Name removed]

Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MonkeyFunk]

11. lol

thanks again, mods. I'm gonna give up. There's no point anymore. This site is beyond being saved today.

[laugle]

51. I heard the saddest thing

yesterday. I was visiting a political forum, my first time there, when someone asked if any DUers were there, someone asked "what's DU" a person replied "it's democratic underground, that HATESITE."

I have always been proud of DU because we have been repected by the media and members of our party. I never hesitate to say I am a member here, we really have clout.

I don't know what the future holds for any of us, but the hard-core vitriol is hurting our reputation.

I look to the mods to take a more agressive approach now that the primary is over. Many thanks to the mods, I know it's tough...............

[Auntie Bush]

9. Thanks MonkeyFunk...You speak for all Hillary supporters.

That was a wonderful tribute to her...and soooo true!

[OzarkDem]

12. She's a Democrat first

and she'll be the first woman president.

[tekisui]

13. I am proud of Senator Clinton.

I have nothing bad to say about her. She gave a tremendous speech, as I expected and history will be very kind to her. As will the future.

[dorktv]

The WaPo summed it up for me in a way I could understand:

She could accept losing. She could not accept quitting.

This is a lady who stuck with a man who humilated her globally (a divorce is quitting.) Who went to Beijing when she should not have (not honoring a committment is quitting), who refused to cancel during the worst time in her life for a person who later stabbed her in the back...

The junior senator from NY is many things. But she is not a quitter and never has been.

I was not a supporter, I am still not a supporter but I am a defender and this is one reason why I defend. (I also defend because she has gotten a raw deal but that is a story for another thread.)

[dkf]

16. She is not a quitter.

Which always made me scared as to if she could get out of Iraq.

Some things are worth quitting.

[dorktv]

22. I could see her not stopping a war she actually started but she did not do that with Iraq.

so I could see her taking us out. And unlike Barack, she wanted to get out ASAP.

[dkf]

24. Except for the longest time she couldn't even say she made a mistake voting for the IWR.

It didn't build confidence in me.

[dorktv]

37. She sticks with things. That is why people like her.

well one reason.

[MonkeyFunk]

17. That's a very good way to put it

thanks.

[MichiganVote]

44. Good summation of Clinton.

[hfojvt]

63. I cannot understand why people would defend her

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6190122#6191109

[dkf]

14. If she was like this all the time, we wouldn't have been fighting so much.

I sure do like this Hillary better than the kitchen sink Hillary.

[StevieM]

18. The notion that there was a "kitchen sink" campaign will be laughed out of the history books (eom)

[dkf]

20. I thought those were Hillary's words?

[rodeodance]

31. no. but I heard Obama use them on the stump in MS

[AtomicKitten]

64. NY Times: "Clinton Campaign Starts 5-Point Attack On Obama"

Clinton Campaign Starts 5-Point Attack on Obama
Doug Mills/The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/us/politics/26clinton.html

By PATRICK HEALY and JULIE BOSMAN
Published: February 26, 2008

excerpt:

After struggling for months to dent Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy, the campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is now unleashing what one Clinton aide called a “kitchen sink” fusillade against Mr. Obama, pursuing five lines of attack since Saturday in hopes of stopping his political momentum.

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Goat or Panic]

19. I'm glad she made it

to the finish line. I'm glad that she saw it through to the end.

Senator Clinton proved that we will see a female president sooner rather than later.
She not only blazed a trail to the White House, but made sure that it was paved for future generations of women. I know I sound very corny, but I don't care.

I'm very proud of my party right now.

[Leftist Agitator]

21. Well, since she has FINALLY bowed out with a modicum of grace and dignity...

And unequivocally endorsed Senator Obama, I'll say this: Congratulations to Senator Clinton on an historic bid for the Presidency of the United States.

Now let's focus on kicking McCain's ass in November!

:toast:

[ronnykmarshall]

23. I will support her and love always.

Thank you Funky Monkey.

I'd also like to thank the Obama camp for their wonder and warm tribute on their website to Hillary.

[Windy]

26. she exuded class and poise today... she made me proud to be a woman!

Now its time to unify and get BUSH out of the OVAL!!!

[highplainsdem]

25. K&R. And thank you. She's someone all Democrats should be proud of.

[ccharles000]

27. I love her to.

[rodeodance]

28. Thank you MF. Very nice. I know her as kind and gracious also.

[sfam]

29. Hillary could not possibly have done better today. All Obama supporters should be thrilled...

All Democrats should be thrilled in fact. She displayed true class and professionalism.

Now I can't wait to see them on stage together.

K&R

[KAZ]

32. I agree! I keep watching the replays. She was amazing!

[quaker bill]

30. a very good speech

that hit all the proper notes, justified pride in her accomplishments, which were no small task, combined with a clear understanding the results and her role in this from here forward.

Thanks Hillary!

[cynatnite]

33. Thank You for saying so eloquently what I believe n/t

[KAZ]

34. What a day. Who would of thunk I'd be recommending a MF thread.

But there it is. :toast:

K&R!

[maddezmom]

35. Unity is a wonderful thing

:thumbsup: and another K&R

[sandyj999]

36. Hillary is a Strong woman and I am a strong woman and she makes me proud! n/t

[cbayer]

38. Me, too.

And I want to thank you, MonkeyFunk, for being such a strong and vocal supporter against all odds here at DU. I liked you the first time I saw a post of yours. I know it's been hard and today is a very bittersweet day for many of us. I think we are down to about 12 Clinton haters here and I hope they will be gone soon.

Thanks for this great OP.

:hug:

[Auntie Bush]

46. What a turn around!

Last week we had 12 Clinton supporters...now we have 12 Clinton haters.

[sandyj999]

79. I was always there. Supporting that is, needed to clarify. n/t

[NashVegas]

39. It Was a Wonderful Speech. It Really Was

And I'm so proud I voted for her.

[AllentownJake]

41. I thank her

If Obama hadn't faced her or I had not debated great Hillary supporters like you I would not be prepared for the Fall and neither would Obama.

I will be going into enemy territory soon to talk on doors and leading a great team of volunteers as well. Thanks to Hillary that job will be easier.

[mudesi]

42. Please. She needed an INTERVENTION

She was going to take it all the way to the convention if not for her own advisers forcing her to not embarrass herself.

[MichiganVote]

45. So you say and you've got nothing solid to back that up with. You hate the person. Fine.

But your credibility is hardly beyond question on that front.

[joshcryer]

55. No, she was going by heart. She *wanted* to *keep fighting* but when she sat down...

...and thought long and hard about it she did what was *right*. She always does when she thinks hard about it.

[MonkeyFunk]

66. It's over

give up the hate. It's just assholish to keep pumping it.

[Vattel]

43. very well-said

The smears were relentless and cost her the nomination. Having witnessed the relentless smearing of Gore in 2000 and the swift-boating of Kerry in 2004, it was not easy to see so many democrats buy into the stupidest of smears against Clinton. Today everybody seems to find it easy to see that when Gore said he helped to create the internet, he was stating the simple fact that he worked on legislation that cleared the way for the internet. But in 2000, when it mattered, many bought into the "invented the internet" nonsense and not just Republicans. I suspect that with time everyone will be amazed that Clinton's notorious RFK remarks became notorious. Hopefully they will see that the Clintons aren't racists, that there is no good evidence that they were race-baiting, that Clinton practically bent over backwards rejecting the Muslim rumor, but everybody stupidly jumped on the "for all I know" as if that were a subtle attempt to keep the rumor alive. I could go on and on, but you know the story better than anyone MF. Cheers.

[Mme. Defarge]

47. To MonkeyFunk -- a loyal patriot!!!

:toast:

[Mme. Defarge]

48. Permettez-moi

to give this some flames!

[prolesunited]

49. I'm glad she affirmed all of your beliefs in her

I hung on every word of that speech as well. It was amazing. Her strong voice came through so clearly. She made great strides in healing the party. I hope that extends to the supporters on both sides as well.

:hi:

[laugle]

50. Wonderful analysis!

I too knew that she was/is a class act!

People wasted so much time on speculation and bought all the BS the MSM was spewing for ratings. One of the worst things was Randi Rhodes saying she would run on the Inde ticket. That was so despicable! I have it from a high placed source that her ratings on satellite are horrible, along with Big Eddy! Karma's a bitch...........

In this life, you get back what you give.................

[MonkeyFunk]

67. good

I won't forgive Rhodes for her part in this. She was as bad as Limbaugh, and I wish her failure in all her endeavors.

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MonkeyFunk]

70. meh

She called my candidate a "fucking whore", and spread lie after lie about Clinton. Rhodes doesn't deserve an audience - I'm pleased to hear hers has shrunk.

You might also note, Zachstar, that Rhodes is not a DUer and thus not protected by the rules against personal attacks.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

52. she is a class act and she proved it 1000 times over today

[Maddy McCall]

53. K/R. Great post.

Expresses my sentiments well, too.

[joshcryer]

54. I'm with you on that one MonkeyFunk. I knew she wouldn't take it to Denver too.

The lies and smears about her on DU were completely incomprehensible to me.

[smiley_glad_hands]

56. Hey, I'm happy you have come to terms with her loss.

Gratz Hill,

Gratz Obama.

[Raster]

57. Great post, MonkeyFunk. You kept the faith.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3405315&mesg_id=3405353

[VolcanoJen]

58. Today was the first day of this entire campaign I was able to *truly* be happy.

And I have one person to thank for that:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

It took her to bring us together, and I applaud her for that, and I just wish I could give her a big hug.

[cboy4]

59. It's unbearable reading some of these posts from

people who've torn her to shreds and are now kissing her ass.

The hypocrisy on the board is off the charts.

[JI7]

60. Kiss from Hillary

i think this picture is so cute

[hfojvt]

61. well at least you kinda tried to explain your support of her

Although it kinda boils down to "I knew she was great".

You are wrong that she was not given the Senate seat from New York. You are also wrong about her value as a Senator. Perhaps you forgot her support for the Iraq war and for Roberts?

I don't admire people who don't give up. It depends on what they fight for. Did she fight against the Iraq war? No. She fought to make herself Senator for a state where she never lived, so she could run for President and then she fought for the Democratic nomination even though many of the ways she chose to fight were bad for the party and my prediction was even if she won the nomination it would be bad for our party and for our country.

I predicted in October that she would be divisive and she has been for the last three months. Yesterday's speech does not erase what she said and did for the last three months. Nor does it erase the legacy of the Clinton administration.

[Vattel]

65. She was a Senator in a state

in which she had only recently moved. How horrible!!!

It is funny to see how desperately people want to attack her.

By the way, Senator Obama supported the war too. Too bad that they both screwed up on that score.

[hfojvt]

74. I took that personally

because my mom was born in New York, and thus I consider myself to be part New Yorker. She moved there because she was given the Democratic nomination for Senator by a bunch of party bigshots. Isn't Democracy great?

Senator Obama did not support the war at its inception, he fought it just like I did. And just like me, he did not support immediate withdrawal or cutting funding once it had started. It's not funny to me how some people wanna gloss over her support of the Iraq war.

[MonkeyFunk]

68. you're just exposing your ignorance

first, when she decided to run in NY, Rudy Giuliani was her likely opponent. He dropped out, and Lazio came in, and the race as tied just 8 weeks before the election. She won over upstate NY by working hard there.

She voted no on Roberts' confirmation.

Take your idiotic hate somewhere else for a day, OK?

[hfojvt]

73. I said much the same thing about upstate New York

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

However, she was GIVEN the Democratic nomination. I know that very well, because I tried to run against her. Second, Rudy is irrelevant to the final results since he dropped out. Third, yes she did some good work in Upstate New York, but it was still a huge gift. Because of her celebrity status and connections to bigshot donors she was like a person in a hundred yard dash who started 50 yards ahead. She ran pretty hard for the last 50 yards, but was GIVEN the first 50.

Also as to Roberts, sure she voted no, but my understanding is that instead of rallying the Democrats to oppose his nomination that she spoke in the caucus against a fillibuster. Supported him behind the scenes and undermined the only way he might have been stopped.

But your reply illustrates all too typical Clinton supporter behaviour - personal attacks and a demand for her critics to shut up, shut up, shut up.

[Straight Shooter]

72. Thanks, MonkeyFunk. Without you, GDP would have been a much worse place for Hillary supporters.

I don't "love" her because I don't know her personally, but she has had my respect for many years, and it continues to grow.

I posted a few days ago that I dreamed she conceded and was very gracious in her speech, and smiling. Maybe it's because my subconscious picked up clues as to Hillary's character, and I knew she would rise to the occasion and show what she's truly made of. Even if she lost this primary, she'll always be a winner in my book.

Again, thank you, MonkeyFunk. You took a lot of crap, and you're still standing. Just like Hillary. :thumbsup:

[intaglio]

76. I can understand your preference, Monkey

I can even sympathise with her. I do know how cruel these past months have been to her and how she has born up under that stress. Unfortunately there is also a problem that both Sen Clinton and Sen Obama have had to deal with and that is the hagiography that comes from their supporters. Both contenders have been badly served by supporters who have idealised them and treated any criticism as an assault on the perfection that such supporters perceive in their candidate.

This thread is not the place to disinter those criticisms but it is the place to ask that the beatification as well as the demonisatiom of Sen Clinton, cease.

Sen Clinton is a politician, not a plaster saint. The attacks she has had to face prior to this campaign are not unusual against someone who expected to run for President; the attacks she has faced during this campaign are of similar magnitude to those faced by the eventual winner. You probably will not believe it but she has not been "attacked, harangued, harassed and abused more than any other woman in public life" (that title probably goes to Aung San Suu Kyi) indeed, even if you only mean US public life, there is some doubt about her holding the title.

So get off your high horse and buckle down to making the next US President a Democratic president

[jjr5]

77. It took her quite a while to concede though.

She hasn't had enough delegates, to win, for a while. And like Cenk from TYT says, why did she wait until saturday to make her endorsement? On Tuesday night, she proclaimed arrogantly that she would continue her campaign, even then, and not endorse Obama. It concerns me that she would wait so long to endorse our candidate. I'm happy for you and for her, but, in history her negative campaign will be infamous.

[MonkeyFunk]

78. The race wasn't over until Obama had enough delegates.

On Tuesday, the superdelegates put him over the top. I don't think 3 and a half days is unduly long.

[jjr5]

81. Okay, okay.

I'm just perplexed at the fact that HRC could have been supporting BO for months now as the race was statistically in his favor. John Edwards dropped out when he saw he wasn't winning enough delegates, why not HRC?

[WarfareArtist]

80. After adopting a prolonged scorched earth policy? Grace you say?

I say too little to late even with the speech. It's Obama that has to be gracious and concede after taking that much beating from her.
But if you insist...

EDIT - how bout that for ass kissing, aye cboy4?